Navigating your way through an airport, even for a trip you’re excited to take, nearly always feels like a chore. But I have found that if you have the right tools ready to use, you can actually make the whole experience much more tolerable. Here are some of my favorite travel apps to try out the next time you plan a trip.
The best travel apps for booking and tracking flights
Here are the apps I use to book cheaper, better flights—and then track their status before takeoff.
Hopper and TravelArrow
A stress-free travel experience starts with a great price, and the Hopper app tracks flight prices and advises you on the cheapest time to buy (or when to wait and when you can expect prices to rise). You can also supplement your search with the TravelArrow Chrome extension, which can help you decide which airline to book your flight through.
TripIt
If you’ve ever booked a flight or hotel for the wrong date or realized your itinerary had some unintentional gaps, consider using TripIt. The planning app keeps all your reservations for flights, hotels, car rentals, and tours synced in one itinerary. Simply forward any confirmation email to plans@tripit.com that you want to show up in the itinerary and it will save all your confirmation and flight numbers in one spot. It will also show you all your plans in a neat timeline (along with any of those gaps).
The app has a free version with all the essentials and a Pro version for $49 per year with real-time alerts and extra features.
Flighty
With the increase in flight cancelations we’ve experienced over the years and the unhelpful response from many airlines, it’s become more important to have the best tools available for tracking flights. Flighty is a flight-tracking app that will alert you to cancelations and delays by the second (much faster than some airlines alert their passengers), helping you to be more proactive than reactive. The app also tells you how your flight has performed over the past couple of months, providing you with data of its timeliness (similar to what Flightera does but not as detailed). You can also track other people’s flights like you do your own.
While Flighty has a free, limited version, the paid version is where you get the valuable features. It costs $49.99 per year or $249 for a lifetime membership. You can also sync it with TripIt to show you your itinerary on the Flighty app. If you’re looking for a similar app that’s completely free, check out App in the Air. Just keep in mind that App in the Air tracks changes but doesn’t have the same near-real-time updates as Flighty. If you want a free app that purely tracks flights, try FlightAware.
The best travel apps for navigating the airport
Once you’re physically at the airport, there are many apps that can make your time there be spent less in lines and stressing over missing your flight. Here are the best ones.
Reserve by CLEAR
You don’t need to have a fancy airport pre-check program membership to save time during the security process (although I do recommend TSA PreCheck). You can use the CLEAR app to take advantage of the free Reserve program to reserve your spot ahead of time and make your way through the security line much faster if you’re flying domestically. If you’re flying internationally, you can use the Mobile Passport Control app to do the same thing.
LoungeBuddy
If you have lounge access at airports through one or more programs you’re part of, you’ll want to get the LoungeBuddy app. It will tell you which lounges you have access to, as well as their hours, amenities, locations, rules, and more. You can also buy access to some lounges if you have an American Express credit card.
Starbucks
Listen, it’s convenient: The Starbucks app lets you make a mobile order ahead of time at multiple airports so you can grab your order without standing in line. If you’re in a rush and know you won’t have time to wait in the usual long Starbucks line, order your breakfast or coffee ahead of time with the app. (You will need to be member of their loyalty program to do this.) You can search for your nearest location by using the three-digit airport code. Once you make your order, the app will tell you when you can pick your order up before your flight.
Google Maps
Google Maps does more than take you from point A to point B in your car. It’s tremendously helpful at airports as well. If you’ve ever been in a situation where you weren’t sure if you could make a trip to a bathroom, store, lounge, restaurant, terminal, or any other place in time for your flight, then you probably didn’t use Google Maps. Navigating through airports is confusing and time-consuming, and while you know how to follow the signs, chances are you might not know how long it’ll take you to get to where you’re going—especially if you have to take any other mode of transportation to get there.
Converter+
If you’re in an international airport, you’re going to want to have an app for transferring currencies (and other conversions). The Converter+ app help convert currencies, Celsius to Fahrenheit, kilometers to miles, liters to ounces, and more. You can also save favorites, use automatic exchange rate refreshes, and other features.